Bethlehem puts a cheerful face on daunting challenge of Israeli occupation

‘From Bethlehem to the world; the spirit of Christmas brings us together’. (AFP)
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Updated 25 December 2022
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Bethlehem puts a cheerful face on daunting challenge of Israeli occupation

  • The municipality expects to receive 100,000 religious tourists over the Christmas season alone
  • Many Palestinian Christians are unable to visit as Israeli authorities frequently deny travel permits

RAMALLAH, PALESTINE: Despite the imminent emergence of a radical-right government in Israel, in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem residents and visitors alike had been preparing to celebrate Christmas, with tens of thousands of pilgrims and religious tourists joining the festivities this year.

The municipality, which recognizes the religious and historical importance of the city for Christians worldwide, dubbed this year’s events: “From Bethlehem to the world; the spirit of Christmas brings us together.”

Preparations began in the West Bank four months ago. At the time, Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Hanania called on “all the faithful and peace-loving peoples of the world” to visit Bethlehem and Palestine and make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to practice their faith and religious rites.”

He told Arab News: “Bethlehem wears a new suit of joy, and hope has returned to the hearts of the city’s citizens after a long absence; we look forward to a distinguished Christmas this year.”

Bethlehem is home to about 30,000 people. While the city is Muslim-majority, it has a deep-rooted Christian community. The city is considered sacred, as it is the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the Gospels.




Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Hanania called on “all the faithful and peace-loving peoples of the world” to visit Bethlehem. (AFP)

Thousands of local Christians and foreign pilgrims flock to Bethlehem on Dec. 24 every year to receive the procession of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who arrives at the Church of the Nativity to preside over midnight mass.

The mass, which is attended by the Palestinian president and prime minister, international figures, prominent Arab diplomats, ambassadors and consuls, is broadcast on television around the world.

Ahead of the Christmas holidays, trees are decorated and brightly lit in the main squares of Palestine’s cities. Scout troops march along the main streets, playing drums and bagpipe music. In the evening hours, Santa Claus’ procession passes by.

In the weeks before Christmas, markets spring up in Christian-populated towns. Here, Christians can buy food and gift items. Muslims share in the festivities with their Christian friends and neighbors.

The number of tourists visiting Bethlehem has recovered since the easing of pandemic restrictions. As more than 50 percent of the city’s income depends on tourism, these numbers are good news for the craftsmen, tour guides and other hospitality industry professionals.

Today, Bethlehem has 56 hotels, including 4,500 hotel rooms, that can accommodate 9,000 people, 100 antique stores, 400 traditional crafts workshops and 20 large tourist restaurants.

Although the Palestinian Central Statistics Center estimates that Bethlehem’s tourism sector lost $1.5 billion in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, this season could see a significant comeback.




Bethlehem has 56 hotels, including 4,500 hotel rooms, that can accommodate 9,000 people, 100 antique stores, 400 traditional crafts workshops and 20 large tourist restaurants. (Supplied)

Elias Al-Arja, owner of the Bethlehem Hotel, told Arab News that his and other venues across town are fully booked as crowds of religious tourists flock to the city for Christmas.

“We are delighted with the return of tourism to Bethlehem despite the difficult security situation in the Palestinian Territories and the Ukraine war,” said Al-Arja, who predicts tourism will return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023.

The Palestinian Authority has deployed hundreds of security personnel in Bethlehem for the occasion.

Palestinian police spokesman Brig. Gen. Zneid Abu Zneid told Arab News that 1,500 security personnel, under the supervision of the police commander, Major General Youssef Al-Hilew, are on duty to protect the public.

Ghadir Najar, an architect from East Jerusalem, told Arab News that Christians in Jerusalem resist Israeli restrictions preventing their freedom of movement. She says she and her family will go to Bethlehem on Saturday to participate in midnight mass.

The number of Christians in the Palestinian Territories is falling, said Najar, as large numbers have emigrated to Sweden and the US in recent years in search of opportunities. Bethlehem is among the poorest cities in the Palestinian Territories.

Palestinian Christians predominantly live in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, Ramallah and Bir Zeit. Others live in the towns and villages of Nazareth, Haifa and Galilee inside Israel.




Preparations began in the West Bank four months ago. (Supplied)

According to the latest official data, their numbers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are about 42,000, with a further 140,000 living inside Israel. Their number in Ramallah is 11,000, with 2,000 of them natives of the city and 9,000 having migrated there from elsewhere in Palestine.

Nazih Dahdal, owner of the Beauty Inn Hotel in Ramallah, told Arab News that religious tourism made up about 80 percent of the tourism market in the Palestinian Territories this year.

These tourists primarily hail from France, Italy, Germany, Turkiye and the US. He says the number of domestic tourists — Palestinians living in Israel — has fallen due to the security situation in the West Bank.

Dahdal says he will not hold a New Year’s Eve party as he did in previous years, fearing clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces will force him to cancel.

Despite the difficult security situation, the lobby of the Beauty Inn Hotel is decorated with a giant Christmas tree.

“Previously, Christmas had a better presence and flavor than today,” Dahdal said. “But aspects of Christmas today are better, especially with the participation of Christians from other cities in the Palestinian Territories.”
 


Israeli troops remove Israeli settler group who crossed into Lebanon

Updated 9 sec ago
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Israeli troops remove Israeli settler group who crossed into Lebanon

JERUSALEM: Israeli soldiers removed a small far-right group of Israeli civilians who had crossed into Lebanon, appearing to put up a tent settlement, in what the military said on Wednesday was a serious incident now under investigation.
The Times of Israel reported 10 days ago that the group, advocating the annexation and settlement of southern Lebanon, said they had crossed the border and established an outpost.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said they had been promptly removed.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that the civilians indeed crossed the blue line by a few meters, and after being identified by IDF forces, they were removed from the area,” said a statement by the IDF, Israel’s military.
“Any attempt to approach or cross the border into Lebanese territory without coordination poses a life-threatening risk and interferes with the IDF’s ability to operate in the area and carry out its mission,” the statement said.
The Times of Israel said the area the group claimed to have entered was under Israeli military control as part of a ceasefire deal signed last month between Israel and the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group.
Under the terms of the Nov. 26 ceasefire, Israeli forces may remain in Lebanon for 60 days. Israel has not established settlements in southern Lebanon, including when its military occupied the area from 1982-2000.


Syrian opposition leader Al-Bahra calls for national support in Syria’s transition

Updated 18 December 2024
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Syrian opposition leader Al-Bahra calls for national support in Syria’s transition

DUBAI: Hadi Al-Bahra, head of the Syrian National Coalition, called on Wednesday for Syrians to unite behind a shared vision for the country’s recovery, urging national support for the current caretaker government until a transitional body can be established in March 2025.

Al-Bahra outlined a comprehensive roadmap for political transition, emphasizing the need to form a credible and inclusive transitional government.

He stressed that this government must avoid sectarianism and ensure that no political factions are excluded, reflecting a commitment to fairness and unity.

Al-Bahra called for the creation of a national conference and a constitutional assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution. This process, he said, would pave the way for a nationwide referendum and free elections, enabling the Syrian people to shape their future through democratic means.

“The transitional government must represent all Syrians,” Al-Bahra said, highlighting the importance of inclusivity as the cornerstone of Syria’s recovery.

While denying direct meetings with former regime leader Farouk Al-Sharaa, Al-Bahra confirmed indirect communications with individuals close to Al-Sharaa and members of the caretaker government.


Iran executes man for attacks on dozens of women

Updated 18 December 2024
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Iran executes man for attacks on dozens of women

TEHRAN: Iranian authorities executed on Wednesday a man convicted of “corruption of earth” for attacking dozens of women on the capital’s streets, the judiciary said.
Rastgooei Kandolaj has attacked at least 59 women using an awl, causing injuries and sowing “terror in Tehran,” the judiciary’s Mizen Online news website said.
Multiple women had reported that the assailant was was riding a motorcycle when he carried out the attacks, Mizan said.
The report did not specify when Kandolaj was arrested.
He was handed down a death sentence after being convicted of the capital offense “corruption on earth,” Mizan said.
“The death sentence of... Rastgooei Kandolaj, who injured women and girls with an awl and created terror in Tehran, was carried out,” it said.
Iran uses capital punishment for major crimes including murder and drug trafficking, as well as rape and sexual assault.
The Islamic republic executes more people per year than any other nation except China, for which no reliable figures are available, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.


Iran lawmakers request changes to strict hijab bill: media

Updated 18 December 2024
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Iran lawmakers request changes to strict hijab bill: media

TEHRAN: Iranian lawmakers have asked to amend a bill that would impose tougher penalties on women who refuse to wear the mandatory hijab, local media reported on Wednesday.
The bill, already approved in parliament but not yet submitted to the government for final confirmation, has stirred a heated debate in Iran more than two years since nationwide protests erupted in part over the Islamic republic’s dress code for women.
Shahram Dabiri, Iran’s vice president for parliamentary affairs, has requested to hold off on sending the bill for approval, according to news agency ISNA.
“We requested that the law of chastity and hijab not be referred to the government,” Dabiri was quoted by ISNA as saying, adding that “the parliament speaker requested an amendment to the bill.”
Dabiri did not specify the nature of the amendment or provide a timeline for the process.
Lawmakers in September 2023 had approved the bill, officially the “Law on Supporting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab.”
It has since won the approval of the Guardian Council, a body empowered to vet legislation.
The bill was initially meant to be referred to President Masoud Pezeshkian in December.
Pezeshkian, who could sign it into law, has expressed “reservations” about the text, citing numerous “ambiguities.”
The 74-article bill tightens restrictions over women’s public attire and threatens action against businesses who fail to enforce the dress code, according to the text carried by local media.
It also imposes hefty penalities of up to 10 years in prison or fines equivalent to more than $6,000 for promoting “nudity” or “indecency.”
Since the early years of the republic following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran have been required by law to cover their head and neck.
In late 2022, a wave of protests erupted following the death in custody of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurd Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code.
The months-long unrest saw hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, killed. Thousands of demonstrators were arrested.


Israeli demolitions rip through Palestinian area of Jerusalem

Updated 18 December 2024
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Israeli demolitions rip through Palestinian area of Jerusalem

  • The status of Jerusalem remains one of the most contentious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict

JERUSALEM: Tired and sad, Palestinian activist Fakhri Abu Diab stood amid the rubble of his home in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, just a narrow valley away from the famed domes of the Old City.
In early November, bulldozers from the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality tore down his house in the Silwan neighborhood for a second time, citing unauthorized construction.
“They want to expel us from the area,” said the 62-year-old, who has organized protests against the demolitions in Silwan’s Al-Bustan area.
The destruction of homes built without permits — which campaigners say are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain due to Israel’s restrictive planning policy — has roiled east Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied West Bank for years.
Abu Diab’s house was among around 115 Palestinian residential properties marked for demolition by the Jerusalem municipality, which controls both the city’s Jewish-majority western part and its Palestinian-majority east, occupied by Israel since 1967.
“They want to erase our presence and drive us out,” Abu Diab told AFP.
“But we will stay in Al-Bustan, even in a tent or under a tree.”
The municipality says it aims to address “illegal construction, allow the construction of proper infrastructure and new public buildings for the neighborhood’s residents,” as well as to create green space.
But Israeli rights group Ir Amim said Israeli authorities often abuse the designation of areas in east Jerusalem as national parks or open spaces.
The group, fighting against demolitions, said the practice is “designed to suppress” Palestinian development “while enabling the seizure of their lands for Israeli interests.”

The status of Jerusalem remains one of the most contentious issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Israel conquered east Jerusalem, including the Old City, in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and swiftly annexed the area.
Silwan begins at the foot of the Old City walls where the Bible says the City of David was located, after the Israelite king conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites.
Today, hundreds of Israeli settlers live among nearly 50,000 Palestinians in Silwan.
The settlers’ homes are distinguished by Israeli flags flying from rooftops and windows as well as ubiquitous security cameras.
Meanwhile, Palestinians in east Jerusalem face a housing crisis, unable to build without permits amid a rapidly growing population.
Abu Diab’s house was first demolished in February. He rebuilt it, but it was destroyed again in November.
“This time, they wore me out,” he said, visibly exhausted.
“The original house was built in the 1950s. I was born, raised, married and raised my children here.”
But now, Abu Diab said that “even my children had to rent outside Silwan.”
Now, next to his flattened home, Abu Diab lives in a caravan, which is also under threat of demolition.
He and some of his neighbors rejected an offer from the municipality to relocate to another Palestinian neighborhood in northern Jerusalem.
Near the ruins of Abu Diab’s home, 42-year-old day laborer Omar Al-Ruwaidi sat by a fire with his son, surrounded by the rubble of his own demolished home and those of four of his brothers.
“About 30 people, including 12 children, are now homeless,” he said, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
“We’ve been battling this in court since 2004 and have spent tens of thousands (of Israeli shekels), but to no avail,” said Ruwaidi.
Several families who received demolition orders declined to speak to AFP, citing a fear of retribution.


According to Ir Amim, demolitions in east Jerusalem have surged to unprecedented levels since the start of the Gaza war, which was sparked by a surprise Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Between January and November 2024, 154 homes were demolished across the area, the group said.
On November 13, bulldozers destroyed the Al-Bustan Association community center, whose director said it served 1,500 Palestinian residents, mostly teenagers.
“The association provided various services to its members, including skill-building, capacity enhancement as well as sports and cultural training,” said director Qutaiba Ouda.
“It was a safe haven and a cultural lifeline in a neighborhood with no community centers.”
Ouda lamented the loss, saying that the Israeli authorities did not just destroy a building, but “our memories, dreams and hard work.”
Following the demolition, France, which had supported activities at the association, demanded an explanation from Israel.
Kinda Baraka, 15, was among those who frequented the association.
“It was our safe space,” she said.
“When it was destroyed, I cried a lot. It felt like they could come and demolish my home next.”
Baraka said she believed the demolitions aimed to push out Palestinians in favor of settlers.
Ruwaidi echoed those fears, but remained defiant.
“We will not leave Silwan. Outside Silwan, we cannot breathe,” he said.